GROW Values

TRUTH

‘I was in some ways successful in life (both real and according to popular myths). In other ways I was an anxious mess of a man. Life was full of confusions and basic unhappiness. Sometimes things went very wrong. More than 30 years ago I joined a GROW group. That move has changed my life around, many times. In GROW, initiated by people who had usually been at some point, far more broken than I, I have learned about the true meaning and importance of having good friends. My life is so different from the way the trend suggested it was to go. I believe I correctly understood the peril I was in’ – Peter

“Mental health is truth – the conformity of my mind with reality. It comes from thinking, speaking and living truly. A true response to each situation, to my human helpers and the Supreme Healer, can and must be made at every stage of my recovery or personal growth.” (Principle 14, GROW Program)

FRIENDSHIP

‘I had been suffering from the effects of a relationship break up. Without me realising it, the friends that I thought I had were not my friends and I was very much on my own. All my thoughts were going around and around in my head without stopping. I went along to a Grow meeting and discovered other people and heard ideas other than my own. I discovered the truth of friendship and the huge value of diversity of understanding’ – Freddy

“Among human relationships, friendship is the special key to mental health. As I am healed and harmonised by responding to the offer of true friendship, so the measure of my maturity is my capacity to be a true friend.” (Principle 5, GROW Program)

‘I was depressed and desperately alone and had developed the habit of talking to myself. But when I discovered a Grow Group I found that they not only listened but also seemed to understand where I was at – they were accepting of me. I began to feel all was not lost.’ – Paula

One of the key indicators of character is the ability to love. Love is not merely an instinct, though instinctive energies have their part in it. Nor is love a mere product of nature, or can be simply learned from society: It’s an expression of the mature mind, heart and character of a person. Loving people means summoning them forth. In Grow we see that there is three parts to love:

Effective Love: Love shown by deeds, by how we treat another human being in practice.